I'll tease you with a big fettling job, nay - conversion, due when more parts arrive, either tomorrow or early next week ...
My 'best bike' is a Cannondale with a 53/39 chainset. That would be fine except that I seek out very steep hills - lots of them - and even though I am getting fitter and can heave my way up most short climbs on my 39/29 bottom gear, I would rather spin up them in lower gears.
My current top gear of 53/13 lets me pedal up to 35-40 mph but I only ever hit those speeds downhill, and I am happy to get my chin down on the bars and freewheel at those speeds and above.
The bike is overgeared for how I want to use it so I decided to put a triple chainset on it. I was considering various combinations of chainrings... 53, 52 or 50/42, 40 or 39/32 or 30, but have bitten the bullet and gone even lower - to 48/38/28. That means that I will use the big ring more often and stay on it longer. I will be able to climb more hills on the middle ring. I will be able to get up even steeper stuff on the, er, 'grandparent' ring. In fact, the only thing I will lose out on is top end speed that I can't really manage, and don't really need!
I found a very nice triple chainset at a good price at Spa Cycles, a Stronglight Impact triple, and they got it to me only 21 hours after I ordered it!
I have a new chain and bottom bracket on the way, and already have a new front mech which I hope will work ok with that choice of rings. (It's an Ultegra derailleur and it is designed for 52/39/30 so it might not. If it doesn't work properly it will go on
eBay and I will find one that
does work!)
I'll report back when I have done the conversion. If all goes well, I might test it on the fearsome local climb of
Mytholm Steeps!
PS The original 10 speed Campagnolo Chorus front derailleur works perfectly with the chainset so I did not need to change it! I just had to lower it slightly.
